THE CEO OF THE MINE AT WHICH 29 coalminers became trapped after an explosion last week says he is still hopeful that there will be survivors from the accident.
Fears for the safety of the men are growing as the rescue operation suffers setbacks.
Police Commissioner Howard Broad has said “the situation gets bleaker by the hour, by the day”, according to the New Zealand Herald.
CEO of Pike River Coal Peter Whittall said: “I think it’s becoming obvious there’s not 29 guys sitting together waiting to be rescued”, before adding that he is waiting to see those who are rescued.
The mining company has released CCTV footage of Friday’s blast, which is believed to have been caused by a build-up of gas:
Rescue efforts delayed
Two men survived the blast and walked out of the mine with minor injuries, but their colleagues were trapped below the surface. Initial rescue efforts were delayed over fears of a second explosion at the mine.
Then, a remote-controlled robot fitted with a camera was sent down into the main shaft to photograph the damage, but broke down shortly after entering the tunnel, the Australia Network News reports. The BBC reports that a second robot will now be sent into the mine.
Meanwhile, engineers have almost finished drilling a test shaft which will allow them to test the air quality in the mine.
Local police have released a statement saying that the gas levels reduced overnight but continue to fluctuate: “Expert advice is that it is still too dangerous and unstable to send teams underground”.
Those trapped are understood to include two Britons, two Australians and a South African. There has been no contact with the miners since Friday, and seismic equipment had not detected any tapping from the miners below the ground.
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